I want to let people know that I've started a little project to remove
docstrings from c-code and place them in a python module that will
dynamically add docstrings to builtin functions. I don't know about
you, but I hate writing docstrings in C-code. It's much harder to get
the formatting to look right, and it's much more painful than in
Python. Also, having all the docstrings in one place might actually
make for a nice little reference.
I don't know what kind of loading speed impact this will have (if any),
so I'm proceeding cautiously. Currently, there is a simple utitlity
called add_docstring in the _compiled_base module that can add a
docstring to a builtin-function-or-method object or a type object. It
only works if the object does not already have a docstring (because once
added the Python string is never released until Python exits).
I've heard some things on blogs that convince me that (unfortunately) I
need to reassure certain people that this is *not* some sneaky attempt
to remove docstrings. I'm actually trying to make them more convenient
to add, update, and maintain. I like docstrings as much as anybody. I
also like them to look good.
-Travis